The Art of Treating the Whole Child.

Pediatric Airway Screening in Dallas

Watch: What is sleep-disordered breathing?

Our doctors introduce concerns families may notice during sleep. A dental screening can identify questions for further evaluation; diagnosis and medical treatment decisions require the appropriate medical team.

“We had no idea that the problems were related to sleep and breathing. They are a different kid now. The work you have done has brought peace back into our home. You gave us our family back.”

What dental airway screening can and cannot tell us

Dental airway screening looks for concerns that may warrant further evaluation. A dental examination or questionnaire does not diagnose obstructive sleep apnea. When findings suggest a possible sleep-related breathing disorder, medical assessment may be needed.

The AAPD recommends screening and referral to appropriate medical providers. Dental appliances are an individual treatment decision after appropriate assessment, not an automatic response to snoring.

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Hours

Monday 7:30 am – 4:00 pm

Tuesday 7:30 am – 4:00 pm

Wednesday 7:30 am – 4:00 pm

Thursday 7:30 am – 4:00 pm

Friday By Appointment

Meet Our Doctors

Watch: Questions about persistent mouth breathing

A starting point for discussing oral findings and breathing concerns. Mouth breathing can have different causes. Share your observations with your child’s dental and medical clinicians.

What should parents mention?

Frequent or loud snoring.
Breathing pauses you have noticed during sleep.
Persistent mouth breathing.
Restless sleep or daytime sleepiness.

These observations help guide questions; they do not establish a diagnosis. Discuss sleep concerns with your child’s pediatrician as well as the dental team.

How are next steps chosen?

Next steps may include medical referral, monitoring or assessment of a dental concern. If a bite or development issue also needs attention, we explain its dental treatment goal separately. An appliance should not be presented as a guaranteed solution for sleep, behavior or breathing.

Watch: Your first airway visit

Learn how the history, examination and discussion of next steps fit together. Imaging, referrals and any dental treatment depend on the findings for your child.

What happens at our screening visit?

At our Dallas office, Dr. Carla Damon, Dr. Loria Nahatis and our team review the concerns you report and examine your child. Bring observations about snoring, mouth breathing or sleep, along with relevant recommendations from your child’s medical team. Screening questions and oral findings help us discuss whether further evaluation or referral is needed. We also consider whether there is a separate dental growth or development concern to address.

Looking for an airway dentist in Dallas?

Start with a screening that explains what the dental findings mean and which questions need medical evaluation. These questions can help you understand the proposed next steps:

What did the dental examination show?
Which concerns need medical evaluation?
Should we speak with our pediatrician, an ENT or a sleep specialist?
If dental care is recommended, what is its specific goal?
How will the different providers coordinate follow-up?

Dental imaging can describe anatomy, but cannot by itself establish how a child breathes during sleep.

For help organizing your observations, read our guides to snoring in children and signs of poor-quality sleep.

Explore growth and development assessments, mouth breathing and sleep videos and airway visit videos.

Request an airway screening consultationOr call (972) 808-6825